I was just doing some thinking, and I realized that there's something I really like about being in this country: Koreans don't care about American football. Yes, football isn't even on the map in the Land of the Morning Calm. Around these parts the two main sports are baseball and soccer, with anything else having a niche following.
When Mariano Rivera set the saves record, they actually covered it on the news. I could open a newspaper right now and there'd be coverage of the MLB playoffs. The Korean baseball playoffs are going on right now too, and that gets its due priority, but there's enough interest in MLB to warrant a degree of media attention. I love it.
Yesterday was a tough day for us in Gwangju, as the KIA Tigers were eliminated from the playoffs. It was disappointing, but it shouldn't have been totally unexpected, as they were the lowest seed. We'll get 'em next year (I hope).
Right now I'll be happy for whichever team is left standing in MLB, as long as it isn't the St. Louis Cardinals. They're the only team left I can't stomach, and they just took a 2-1 lead in the NLCS. The Rangers are one win away from their second straight AL pennant though, a prospect I find most exciting. Before the 2010 season I never would have envisioned the Texas Rangers playing in two consecutive World Series. No AL team has lost back-to-back World Series since the 1963-64 Yankees, so if the Cardinals end up beating the Brewers, I hope those old Yankees can retain that status.
Right now I couldn't even tell you what week it is in the NFL season, and frankly, I like it that way. I don't know which teams are winning and losing, and I don't care, either. I've practically forgotten that the NFL exists. My focus is now completely on the one sport that matters, as it ought to be. If I can make it past the Super Bowl without knowing who won it, I'll feel a real sense of accomplishment.
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